Councilmember Floreen Will Introduce Bill to Ban Smoking on Montgomery Property On Thursday, Nov. 15, in Rockville, She Will Host Event With American Cancer Society to Mark 37th Great American Smokeout and Offer Details on the Legislation

ROCKVILLE, Md., November 13, 2012—Montgomery County Councilmember Nancy Floreen at 11:30 a.m. on Thursday, Nov. 15, will hold a news conference in Rockville to give details on a bill she will introduce that would ban smoking on property owned or leased by Montgomery County. The ban would include all County properties except public rights of way.

The bill, which is scheduled for introduction on Nov 27, is co-sponsored by Council Vice President Nancy Navarro and Councilmembers Craig Rice, Hans Riemer, George Leventhal and Marc Elrich. A public hearing on the bill is tentatively scheduled for Jan. 15.

The news event will be held in the Third Floor Hearing Room of the Council Office Building, which is located at 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. Representatives of the American Cancer Society will be present as the event coincides with the organization’s 37th Great American Smokeout. The Smokeout is an annual event that urges smokers to give up their smoking habits.

“I have unfortunately spent a lot of time over the past year with people who have cancer,” said Councilmember Floreen, a survivor of breast cancer. “I want to do everything I can to help prevent this awful disease in all of its forms, and this is a good place to start.”

In Montgomery County, one in 12 adults smoke cigarettes. Nationally, tobacco use is responsible for one in five deaths, and an annual toll of 443,000 deaths. Smoking accounts for at least 30 percent of all cancer deaths and is associated with increased risk for 15 types of cancer. Tobacco use remains the single, largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the U.S.

“The Great American Smokeout is about helping people quit, and we know that passing this bill is critical to helping people in Montgomery County do just that,” said Bonita Pennino, Government Relations Director for the American Cancer Society’s Cancer Action Network. “In addition we know that strong smoke-free laws mean fewer smokers and reduced health care costs.”